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14 SES 02 B: Educational Transitions.
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14. Communities, Families and Schooling in Educational Research
Paper Factors Associated with Delayed Transition from Kindergarten to School: Evidence from a Hungarian Birth Cohort Study HCSO Institute for Quantitative Population and Economic Research, Hungary Presenting Author:The study draws on data from the seventh wave of the Cohort ’18 – Growing Up in Hungary research programme, which collected information from families with children aged seven at the point of transition to formal schooling. The paper focuses on background factors shaping parental decisions to postpone children’s entry into school. In Hungary, compulsory school enrolment is formally linked to reaching the age of six; however, the current regulatory framework allows parents, upon official request, to defer school entry by one year—an option currently taken up by approximately one quarter of families. By exploring the motivational background and sociodemographic characteristics of families opting for delayed school entry, the study is grounded in the hypothesis that postponed school transition can be interpreted as a mechanism through which social inequalities are reproduced via educational transitions. The theoretical framework is primarily informed by Bourdieu’s concept of capital (Bourdieu, 1983), which conceptualises parental educational choices as embedded in families’ unequal distributions of economic, cultural, social, and symbolic capital. Coleman’s theory of social capital (Coleman, 1988) builds on similar assumptions, defining social capital as aspects of social structures that facilitate individual action. From this perspective, school transition, the calculations—or the lack thereof— associated with it, as well as parental attitudes and decision-making opportunities, are closely linked to families’ sociocultural and socioeconomic positions. Families occupying different social statuses possess distinct resources, orientations, and strategies in relation to school-related decisions, which may contribute to the reproduction of existing inequalities and the emergence or intensification of new forms of inequality within the education system. Previous research suggests that parental motivations underlying delayed school entry are highly diverse (Donath et al., 2010; Simpson et al., 2025), while the educational performance advantages associated with postponement remain inconclusive, particularly in the longer term (Larsen et al., 2020). The study adopts a life course perspective, conceptualising entry into formal education as a key transition not only for the child but also for the family. Rather than treating school entry as a single, isolated event, this approach emphasises its processual nature and highlights the importance of antecedents as well as short- and long-term consequences (Wang et al., 2023; Ma, 2024). Educational transition is thus understood as a complex, non-linear, dynamic, and multi-actor process, characterised by progressions, stagnations, and potential reversals. In this respect, longitudinal research designs offer particular analytical advantages. Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used Data for the study are drawn from the Cohort ’18 – Growing Up in Hungary Study, a longitudinal survey conducted by the HCSO Institute for Quantitative Population and Economic Research, Hungarian Demographic Research Institute (Veroszta et al., 2020). The study follows the development of nearly 9,000 children born in 2018 across six waves of data collection to date, beginning in the prenatal period (during pregnancy). The research adopts a multidisciplinary approach, examining pregnancy and childhood from demographic, sociological, developmental psychological, and health-related perspectives. The seventh wave of the Cohort ’18 study focuses on the transition to school among participating children at the age of seven. Data collection will take place in spring 2026, and the linked longitudinal dataset, incorporating information from earlier waves, will be available from summer 2026 onwards. Data collection among mothers raising seven-year-old children in the sample is conducted primarily via computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI), supplemented by an online self-completion option. The estimated sample size is approximately 6,000 respondents, of whom—based on preliminary calculations derived from educational statistics—around 1,500 are expected to be affected by delayed school entry. The planned analyses will be conducted on this analytical subsample. Using a descriptive approach, the study aims to identify the main types of parental motivations underlying the decision to delay school entry and to examine how these motivations are patterned by families’ sociodemographic characteristics and how they reflect inequalities in families’ access to different forms of capital. Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings The analyses are expected to reveal systematic social patterning in the motivations underlying delayed school entry. We anticipate that postponement will function as a form of strategic advantage-seeking primarily among families with higher levels of cultural and social capital, who are better able to navigate institutional procedures, mobilise expert knowledge, and articulate educational aspirations. In contrast, among families in less advantaged social positions, delayed entry is expected to be more strongly associated with concerns related to children’s developmental readiness, health status, and emotional or behavioural maturity, reflecting more constrained decision-making contexts. Furthermore, we expect that different motivational profiles will be linked to distinct constellations of socioeconomic characteristics, parenting practices, and early childhood experiences, indicating heterogeneous pathways into delayed school entry. These findings are anticipated to support the interpretation of postponed school transition as a mechanism through which social inequalities are reproduced. Finally, children entering school with a one-year delay are expected to exhibit higher levels of school readiness at the point of entry, particularly in cognitive and socio-emotional domains. However, we anticipate that these short-term advantages will vary substantially by social background, raising important questions about the longer-term implications of delayed entry for educational inequalities. References Bourdieu, P. (1983). The Forms of Capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education (pp. 241-258). New York: Greenwood Press. Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital. The American Journal of Sociology, 94, S95–S120. Donath, T., Bates, A., Al-Bataineh, A. & Abu Al-Rub, M. (2010). Kindergarten postponed: Examining parents’ decisions and teacher opinions concerning school readiness. International Research in Early Childhood Education 1(1), 21-33. Larsen, S. A., Little, C. W., & Coventry, W. L. (2021). Exploring the Associations Between Delayed School Entry and Achievement in Primary and Secondary School. Child Development, 92(2), 774–792. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13440 Ma, J. (2024). The ambiguity of the transition to primary school: Reconceptualising it as a multi-dimensional unity. Oxford Review of Education, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2024.2432642 Simpson, H. G., Booth, J. N., & Chevalier, N. (2025). Parent priorities when navigating the decision to delay school entry. Research Papers in Education, 40(3), 467–494. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2024.2411692 Veroszta, Zs.- Kopcsó, K. - Boros, J. - Kapitány, B. - Szabó, L. - Spéder, Zs. (2020): Tracking the development of children from foetal age: an introduction to Cohort ’18 Growing Up in Hungary. Longitudinal and Life Course Studies. Wang, L., Qian, Y., Warrinnier, N., Attanasio, O., Rozelle, S., & Sylvia, S. (2023). Parental investment, school choice, and the persistent benefits of an early childhood intervention. Journal of Development Economics, 165, 103166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2023.103166 14. Communities, Families and Schooling in Educational Research
Paper Mobile Children Aren’t Just Mobile Children: How Non-standard School Moves Are Experienced by Children, Schools and Local Authorities in England 1: University of Birmingham, United Kingdom; 2: University of Warwick, United Kingdom Presenting Author:This presentation discusses the phenomenon of pupil school mobility - children and young people (CYP) moving school outside of standard age-based promotional transitions. Pupil school mobility is a complex phenomenon, which affects a significant proportion of CYP in England and internationally. High levels of pupil school mobility have been associated with lower student performance, particularly in secondary school (Strand and Demie, 2007; Prior and Leckie 2022), and linked to other academic and social issues, for example in relation to drop-out and completion rates, mental health and relationships (Anderson 2017; Clemens et al., 2016; Langenkamp, 2016). Mobility has also been found to have significant impact on schools in terms of environment, performance and belonging, and on non-mobile pupils in highly mobile schools (Gibbons and Telhaj, 2011; Rumberger, 2003; Whitesell et al., 2016).
Despite its widespread occurrence and links to educational disadvantage, pupil school mobility has received relatively limited attention within educational research. When considered, it is mostly framed as an individual, rather than a more systemic issue. The key theoretical framework in this area, distinguishes between ‘strategic’ and ‘reactive’ moves (Rumberger, 2003) and acknowledges that the reasons for mobility will also often influence its outcomes, at least to some extent. Reactive mobility is likely to have a more detrimental effect on children’s outcomes than strategic mobility. However, other forms of mobility, identified in our work, such as those that may be imposed by housing policies or natural disasters, or those resulting from mobile lifestyles are not accounted. In the literature in general, different mobility types (e.g. in-year vs. end of year mobility, short vs. long distance mobility, one-off vs. frequent mobility and upward/downward mobility in terms of school performance) and the way they interact with the complex experiences of different groups of mobile CYP (e.g., service children, migrant children, children with SEND, children in care) and context-specific policies and practices of schools and local authorities also remain an under-researched area.
Our research team from the Universities of Birmingham and Warwick is currently conducting a large scale mixed-methods research project (funded by the Nuffield Foundation) addressing some of these gaps. The overall objective of the project is to develop a better and more in-depth understanding of pupil school mobility in England, and based on this, to produce a set of resources to support families experiencing non-standard school moves, and the schools and local authorities working with them.
The project includes a systematic review of literature on pupil school mobility, secondary data analysis of the National Pupil Database in England; focus groups and interviews with school and local authority staff and in-depth interviews with CYP and families. In this presentation we outline the findings of the latter phase of the qualitative data collection with families, schools and local authority staff, and discuss the process of co-producing the resources with participant representatives. We explore the following research questions:
1) How do CYP and families experience school mobility and what strategies and practices may support them before, during and after their move(s)? 2) What is the perceived impact of school mobility on school outcomes and community, and what policies and practices do schools adopt to support mobile pupils? 3) What is the perceived impact of school mobility on local authorities, and what policies and practices do local authorities have in place to navigate mobility? Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used The paper presents key findings from the interviews and focus groups conducted with families, school and local authority staff. For the interviews, we recruited CYP between the ages of 8 to 16, with experience of at least one non-standard school move currently living in England. CYP were recruited via schools, charities and existing networks and interviewed together with a parent/carer. We used a semi-structured interview schedule and the timeline method to map the CYP school journey so far (Sheridan et al. 2011). In the interviews, the CYP and their families discussed their experiences, thoughts and feelings of moving schools, what schools did well and what they wished was different in the support received. In addition, we recruited primary and secondary schools with high levels of mobility, ensuring representation from both urban and rural schools, with small and large cohorts and from different geographical regions in England. In each school, we conducted focus groups with 4-5 members of school staff using a semi-structured schedule, discussing their experiences, the impact of mobility on school outcomes, as well as best practices and policies. A similar interview schedule was used to conduct individual interviews with local authority staff with responsibility for mobile families and schools. At present, 19 CYP and families, 10 schools, and 15 local authority staff, and we are around half-way through to reaching our target sample. All interviews and focus groups have been recorded and transcribed verbatim and findings will be analysed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006; 2019) thematic analysis. Following the data analysis, we will conduct an online workshop with each of the three participant groups (families, school and local authority staff) to present the findings of the thematic analysis and together discuss implications and best practice. During the workshops, a set of resources will be co-produced alongside participants and based on the discussion of findings. The resources will be piloted with key participants and follow up interviews will be conducted to evaluate and further refine the resources. Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings Our previous work on pupil school mobility (Jørgensen and Perry, 2021) and the systematic review conducted as part of the present study (Jørgensen et al. 2026) have identified many different variables, which may all have an impact on pupil school mobility. These include individual child or family characteristics and circumstances, school level factors, and socio-economic and political influences at the macro level. School mobility is thus a complex but common phenomenon, and findings from the interviews and focus groups build on this knowledge through the lived experience of our participants. Families highlighted the importance of communication, relationship-building, fostering feelings of belonging and having a clear process of transition and induction. School staff were in agreement, but also highlighted systemic barriers regarding the impact of mobility on school performance, a lack of knowledge and resources to work with different groups of mobile CYP, and the need for an individualised approach. Local authority staff echoed these barriers and emphasised their work in mitigating the risks of school mobility to both individual CYP and school performance. We anticipate that the co-produced resources will bring together best practices, identified through our research to support CYP and families on issues relating to mobility and support school and local authority staff to identify and better understand the needs of mobile children, providing a tailored individualised approach, but also acknowledging more systemic issues. References Anderson (2017) School mobility among middle school students: When and for whom does it matter? Psychology in the Schools, Vol. 54(5), 2017 Braun, V., and Clarke, V. (2006) Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative research in psychology, 3(2), 77-101. Braun, V., and Clarke, V. (2019) Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative research in sport, exercise and health, 11(4), 589-597. Clemens et al (2016) The relationship between school mobility and students in foster care earning a high school credential, Children and Youth Services Review 68 (2016) 193–201 Gibbons, S., Telhaj, S., 2011. Pupil mobility and school disruption. Journal of Public Economics 95, 1156–1167. Jørgensen, C. R., Perry, T. (2021) Understanding School Mobility and Mobile Pupils in England, British Educational Research Journal, 47: 5, 1139–1157. Langenkamp, A. (2016) Effects of School Mobility on Adolescent Social Ties and Academic Adjustment, Youth & Society 2016, Vol. 48(6) 810–833 Prior, L. and Leckie, G. (2022) Student mobility: Extent, impacts and predictors of a range of movement types for secondary school students in England, British Educational Research Journal, 48: 5, 841-1048. Rumberger, R.W., 2003. The Causes and Consequences of Student Mobility. The Journal of Negro Education 72, 6. Strand, S., Demie, F., 2007. Pupil mobility, attainment and progress in secondary school. Educational Studies 33, 313–331. Sheridan, J., Chamberlain, K., & Dupuis, A. (2011). Timelining: visualizing experience. Qualitative Research, 11(5), 552-569. Whitesell, E.R., Stiefel, L., Schwartz, A.E., 2016. Unexpected Arrivals: The Spillover Effects of Mid-Year Entry on Stable Student Achievement in New York City. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 38, 692–713. 14. Communities, Families and Schooling in Educational Research
Paper Social and Institutional Factors Affecting the Lower to Upper Secondary Education Transition in Kosovo AAB College, Kosovo Presenting Author:Educational transitions into upper secondary education involve more than structural or organisational change, and are shaped by the social and institutional conditions under which students make educational pathway decisions. When students move from lower secondary to upper secondary education, they enter different school types and programmes (e.g., social sciences, natural sciences, medical, or technical pathways). Students’ experiences can differ depending on whether placement reflects personal preference or whether it is shaped by constraints such as limited availability, selection and placement procedures, distance, lack of information, or family socio-economic circumstances. Research suggests that differences in social support, institutional guidance, and coordination can affect educational continuity after transition and how students perceive their pathway choice (Virtanen et al., 2022; OECD, 2023; Lange et al., 2024).
This study examines the transition from Grade 9 (lower secondary education) to Grade 10 in upper secondary education (high school) in Kosovo. In Kosovo’s pre-university education system, lower secondary education is compulsory (Grades 6–9), while upper secondary education is non-compulsory (Grades 10–12) and provides differentiated academic and vocational pathways (Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation of Kosovo, 2011). This transition is a key decision point because students must enter specific school types and programme profiles that may shape later educational opportunities. The study focuses on social and institutional factors that support or challenge students during this transition, and examines how demographic and contextual characteristics relate to educational continuity and upper secondary pathway choice.
The research examines social factors and institutional factors in relation to students’ transition experiences and educational pathways. Social factors relate to support and interaction within students’ immediate environments, while institutional factors concern how schools organise, guide, and manage the transition process. In addition, demographic and contextual characteristics, including gender, socio-economic background, place of residence, and community background, are considered in order to reflect student diversity in Kosovo and to examine potential inequalities in access to support and meaningful choice during the transition.
The study is guided by the following research questions:
Objectives: - Examine how social factors support or challenge students during the transition to upper secondary education; - Analyse how institutional transition practices and support mechanisms relate to educational continuity and pathway choice, using both student and school staff/education professional perspectives; - Explore how demographic characteristics relate to differences in educational continuity and to preference-based versus constraint-based pathway choices.
The study is informed by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, which views transitions as processes shaped by interactions between individuals and their environments over time (Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006). It supports analysis across micro, meso, and macro levels.
Although conducted in Kosovo, the transition studied is common across Europe: students move from compulsory lower secondary education into differentiated upper secondary pathways. Evidence from international research indicates that disadvantaged, minority/community, and rural students may face stronger constraints when guidance and coordination are weak (OECD, 2023; Virtanen et al., 2022). By analysing this transition at national level in Kosovo, the study contributes to European and international discussions on equity, guidance, and continuity in upper secondary education. Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used This study adopts a quantitative research design based on the collection and analysis of primary data through structured questionnaires. It focuses on students’ transition from lower secondary to upper secondary education in Kosovo and examines how social, institutional, and demographic factors relate to educational continuity and upper secondary pathway choice, including whether students’ placement reflects personal preference or is shaped by structural constraints. Data will be collected from two groups of participants. The first group will consist of students enrolled in Grade 10 in upper secondary education, who will be asked to report on the support they received during the transition, the challenges they experienced, and their perceptions of school and programme choice. The second group will include school staff and education professionals involved in planning, implementing, or supporting transition-related practices. Their responses will provide insight into institutional procedures, guidance practices, coordination between educational levels, and support mechanisms that affect student transitions. The design of both questionnaires will be informed by Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, which provides a conceptual framework for organising variables across micro-, meso-, and macro-levels. This framework supports an integrated analysis of how students’ experiences, institutional practices, and broader contextual conditions interact during the transition into upper secondary education. The student questionnaire will include sections on social factors (family support, school-family collaboration, peer and social support), institutional factors (school transition practices, access to professional support services, school orientation activities, and perceptions of the fairness and transparency of selection and placement processes), and transition outcomes. Outcomes will focus on educational continuity and pathway choice, including whether choices are perceived as preference-based or constraint-based. Demographic variables (gender, socio-economic background, district, urban/rural residence, and community background) will also be collected. The school staff and education professionals’ questionnaire will focus on institutional transition practices, coordination between lower and upper secondary education, availability and quality of guidance and information for students, perceived challenges in supporting diverse student groups, and factors influencing students’ pathway choices from an institutional perspective. The study will employ a national-level sample, with data collected across Kosovo’s seven districts to ensure geographic and contextual representation. Data analysis will involve descriptive statistics and inferential statistical techniques to examine relationships between reported support, institutional practices, demographic characteristics, and transition outcomes. Ethical principles of informed consent, voluntary participation, anonymity, and confidentiality will be strictly implemented throughout the study. Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings This study is expected to generate empirical insights into how social, institutional, and contextual factors support or constrain students’ transition from lower secondary to upper secondary education in Kosovo. By focusing on educational continuity and upper secondary pathway choice, the findings are anticipated to clarify how students’ transition experiences are shaped not only by available support mechanisms but also by the conditions under which pathway decisions are made. At the student level, it is expected that stronger support, particularly from families and schools, will be associated with greater educational continuity and with pathway choices perceived as preference-based rather than constraint-based. Conversely, limited guidance, restricted access to information, and structural constraints related to socio-economic background, place of residence (urban/rural), or community background, are expected to be linked to higher levels of perceived challenge and constraint in pathway choice. At the institutional level, the findings are expected to highlight the importance of coordinated transition practices, effective guidance services, and transparent selection and placement procedures. Perspectives from school staff and education professionals are anticipated to reveal institutional challenges in supporting diverse student groups, including students from rural areas and minority communities, as well as gaps in coordination between lower and upper secondary education. From a practice perspective, the study is expected to inform school-level planning by identifying areas where transition support, guidance, and communication with students and families can be strengthened. From a policy perspective, the findings are expected to contribute to discussions on equity in upper secondary education, particularly regarding access to information, guidance, and meaningful choice at the point of transition. Overall, the study aims to contribute to European and international debates on educational transitions by providing evidence from Kosovo on how social and institutional support structures can promote more equitable, informed, and continuous pathways within pre-university education. References Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press. Bronfenbrenner, U., & Morris, P. A. (2006). The bioecological model of human development. In R. M. Lerner (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 1. Theoretical models of human development (6th ed., pp. 793–828). Wiley. Crul, M., Schneider, J., Keskiner, E. and Lelie, F. (2021) ‘The multiplier effect: How disadvantage accumulates through education’, European Sociological Review, 37(6), pp. 923–930. https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcab034 Gorard, S., Siddiqui, N. and See, B.H. (2021) ‘How trajectories through school differ for disadvantaged children’, British Educational Research Journal, 47(2), pp. 407–427. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3690 Lange, A. M. C., Stapley, E., Merrick, H., & Hayes, D. (2024). Supporting children transitioning to secondary school: A qualitative investigation into families’ experiences of a novel online intervention. Educational Research, 66(1), 1–17. Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation of Kosovo. (2011). Law No. 04/L-032 on pre-university education in the Republic of Kosovo. Official Gazette of the Republic of Kosovo. OECD. (2023). Managing student transitions into upper secondary pathways (OECD Education Working Papers No. 289). OECD Publishing. Virtanen, T., Vasalampi, K., Lerkkanen, M.-K., Pelkonen, J., & Poikkeus, A.-M. (2022). Stability of social support during school transitions: Associations with truancy and not completing upper secondary education in normative time. Learning and Instruction, 77, 101521. | ||